Many foods are sold in plastic packages, which are only really "food safe" plastics while they're at room temperature or below. When these plastics are heated, not only do they soften or even melt, but they can give off harmful chemicals, too (phthalates in particular).
It isn't possible to identify which plastic containers have phthalates in them based soley on the recycling markings, so I'd like a new, special marking be created and required... not for phthalates specifically, if any harmful chemical might be given off if the plastic in question is heated.-- goldbb, Jun 01 2009 be patient, the nice lady will explain http://www.monkeyse...ave-safe-containers [dentworth, Jun 05 2009] I thought this would be about the risk of fertility being compromised by overly hot environments for male primary sexual attributes ...-- Aristotle, Jun 02 2009 I would guess every packaging that doesn't already state it is safe to heat is not safe to heat...-- loonquawl, Jun 02 2009 21Q, it's not about *foods* which aren't meant to be heated, but the containers.
I sometimes wash and save empty food containers with lids, to use to store leftovers in, and if I want to reheat those leftovers, I'm always careful to move the food onto a plate before reheating it.
If I knew that a particular container *could* be heated without it giving off noxious chemicals, I could save myself the trouble of moving the food to a plate, and washing that plate afterwards.
For that matter, I'm sure that there are other people besides myself who save empty containers for the same purpose, who aren't so careful about not heating them.-- goldbb, Jun 02 2009 [+]How do we know that the chemicals in the processed foods aren't worse for us than the ones in the plastic?-- Jscotty, Jun 03 2009 I'm not sure... ask mythbusters?
They disproved the saying that cereal boxes are more nutritious than the cereal inside.-- goldbb, Jun 03 2009 I thought "they" enacted this policy a couple years ago in the US. All plastic containers which are microwavable are marked as so. therefore, those not marked are NOT. not so widely know to exist but it does.-- dentworth, Jun 05 2009 Anyone choking (or otherwise dying) on something that should not have been in the microwave, in the first place, is one less troll that will eventually find him, or her, 'self posting an idea on how online casinos should make their free bonus's more free.
I call it non-survival of the weakest, which is quite distinct from survival of the fittest.-- 4whom, Jun 05 2009 Microwaved potato crisps sound good, actually...hot and crunchy.-- sninctown, Jun 07 2009 Bah, wrong way around. Make packages safe to heat instead. Don't make the consumer do your safety work for you - provide him with what he wants and expects in your product.
Personally, I'm all for returnable borosilicate glass packaging - e.g. pay $13 for your microwave curry, get $10 back when you return the washed borosilicate container.-- vincevincevince, Jun 08 2009 Did someone just say "bakelite"?-- 4whom, Jun 08 2009 random, halfbakery